Theme Of Feminism In Their Eyes Were Watching God

Feminism, as portrayed through Janie’s character, is the journey of finding independence, and being self-reliant as a woman without the control or dictatorship of a man or another person. In Their Eyes Were Watching God the path to discovering and initiating this self-realization leads to great freedom, unable to be possessed by exterior forces. Hurston’s illustration of feminism can be disputed, as Janie does not live a traditional feministic lifestyle of constant women’s advocacy and defiance of condemnation. Her character’s disempowerment, contrary to these attributes, is the key to her success in finding equality and autonomy, typifying her as a feminist. Likewise, she uncovers her identity through enduring oppression, leading her to

She begins to see the faults in Nanny’s view of marriage, as a marriage without independence was not a better life than being alone, where she could do as she pleased. Through her loss of voice, she begins to realize not only the importance of having her own self-values in a relationship but the power of having economic and social security to gain control. She discovers that “marriage did not make love”, in her realization, as power becomes an often dynamic in marriage (38). Out of desperation to regain the independence she lost, she marries for opportunity, symbolizing that “Janie’s first dream was dead” (30). Now love is not what she searches for, but instead the prospect of

Though slowly these restraints reemerge, as Janie is forced into a role without a voice to do Joe’s bidding. Joe’s censorship becomes evident once he becomes mayor of a new town. During his welcome, he does not allow Janie to speak, exclaiming “Mah wife don’t know nothin’ ‘bout speech-makin’”, further declaring her place to be in the home (43). Janie, once again, is silenced, and controlled from opportunities to be independent, forced to follow Joe’s rules and standards of how a wife should be. Their relationship is categorized by traditional gender roles, where “Janie’s identity is Mrs. Mayor Starks, and her only function is to extend his own ego”, treated as an object for Joe’s own use (Hongzhi). She is mandated to work in a store she despises as it isolates her from connecting with the townspeople, becoming another means of control for Joe. Joe controls every aspect of her life, for the opportunities he seems to bring become a weapon he could use against her. She again became subject to her husband unable to express her femininity without losing security and